Queen's Road Cell

We discussed two difficult passages today! Just a note that we have previously discussed this briefly here and here 2  Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3  But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4  Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5  but every wife [ c ] who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6  For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 7  For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8  For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9  Neither ...

Ephesians 5:21 "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ" is followed by three examples of submission: of wives to husbands (5:22), children to parents (6:1) and bondservants to masters (6:5). The presence of three examples points out the fact that mutual submission is not primarily in view in these verses. Husbands to not primarily submit to wives, just as parents do not primarily submit to children and masters, to bondservants. In each example here Paul gives injunctions to the party being submitted to, so that there is  reassurance to those who are doing the submitting. Husbands must love their wives (5:25). Fathers must not provoke their children to anger (6:4), and masters must not threaten their bondservants (6:9). There is thus a complementarity in relationships, rather than a sameness/symmetry in how we relate to one another. This comes into sharpest focus when we consider the institution of Christian marriage. I said that Christian marriage is the uni...